I Understand Your Pain
by Outsiders Obsessor
Summary: "I understand your pain," Jenkins simply says. "What?" Jake asks, not entirely sure what the caretaker could mean by that rather cryptic statement. "Your father, Jacob," Jenkins starts to explain, only for Jake to open his mouth, about to form a rebuttal. Written for Jenkins Day Three as part of the #librariansshipathon! Rated T for mention of death. Set after Season 2 Episode 3.


**I Understand Your Pain**

 **Disclaimer: All canon characters belong to TNT and other respective owners. I only own the idea for the story and wherever my muse decides to take me.**

When Jake, Ezekiel, and Cassandra return from the oil rig, Jenkins can tell that something is the matter with the cowboy. Now, nothing appears to be wrong with Cassandra, Ezekiel, and Jacob when they first step back into the Annex, and Eve is just so thrilled that all of her LITs are safe from harm and no worse for wear, save for a few scratches and bruises that may be present from trying to fight the beast that went around possessing the people that were working with the almost intolerable Isaac Stone.

"You're all safe!" Eve practically gushes like a proud mother who just sent her children into a situation she thought would be safer than the normal circumstances that present themselves at the Library.

For normal mothers, the situation would be akin to sending their children to football practice and expecting their children to come home dead, like Bobby Boucher's mother in Adam Sandler's film _The Waterboy._

"Look at you! Jones, Cassandra, and Stone, you're all in one piece! I never could have imagined that a year ago that you three could go out by yourselves on a mission and all come back with minor abrasions and cuts," Eve beams, going over to rest a hand on each of her LITs' shoulders just to make sure that each one of them is really okay and not just a hologram that could try to fool her.

Yeah, that was one conversation she _definitely_ did not want to have with Jenkins Were there such things as magic holograms? She didn't even want to _think_ about the implications that could have within the Library. Especially with Ezekiel Jones being around, he would most definitely use a magic hologram- if such a thing exists- to make him seem as if he is at the Library, but Eve begins to think in a rather frightened state of mind that Ezekiel would just use that as a cover to sneak into a bank vault somewhere halfway across the world.

"Stone, did you keep them safe in the rough state of Oklahoma?" Eve playfully teases, bringing her elbow up to knock it against Jacob's as has become their custom.

"Yeah, Baird. Sure did," Jacob responds, knocking his elbow against Eve's gently with half of the force he normally uses. "I need a drink," he sighs, going off towards where he is hiding a cooler filled with his favorite drinks from around the globe.

"Jake, wait!" Eve calls as she starts to head after Jacob Stone, only for Jenkins to cut her off by stepping in her path and placing one of his arms in front of her chest.

"Please, allow me, Colonel Baird," Jenkins speaks up, looking Eve in her crystal blue eyes. "Besides, I do believe Mr. Stone still owes me a drink that he seems insistent on us going to a bar for," the caretaker smirks, remembering when all the Librarians and their Guardian came back to the Library during the first mission with Prospero.

Jake had told Jenkins they needed to go out for a pint or just drinks in general on the cowboy, and Jenkins had silently declined the offer, as he is not much one for drinking any modern drink concoctions at today's bars. Now, back when Camelot was around and taverns were still around, Jenkins is sure that chapter in his life is a different story. With purpose in his step, Jenkins heads after the fleeing Jacob Stone, knowing exactly where the art historian from Oklahoma is going to go once he acquires a drink.

Just as Jenkins suspected, he finds Jacob in the Historical Manuscripts wing, sitting on a large windowsill with a copy of Buddha's teachings in his lap as he continues to browse the texts he has been reading for about two weeks straight as he makes notes on his laptop that can almost always be found in the Manuscript wing. The art historian could practically live in that wing when he isn't on a case with the other Librarians and Eve. When Jacob Stone goes into the Historical Manuscripts wing, he often does not come out for hours and can only be seen coming out for snacks, a can of soda or a bottle of water. The Historical Manuscripts wing is the one place he can truly think and be alone with his thoughts, reflecting on all that he was happy about and all those scenarios that really got into his head and kept him up at night.

"Mr. Stone, there you are!" Jenkins calls as he appears in the doorway, smoothing out the start of a crease in his impeccably ironed grey suit that has almost become synonymous with the caretaker himself. "I do believe you said you owed me a drink," he smirks, walking over to the windowsill to sit across from Jake when he notices the extra bottle of whiskey sitting at the cowboy's feet.

"That I do, Jenkins," Jake speaks up after almost two whole minutes of silence, during which Jenkins has just kept his mouth shut and allowed Mr. Stone his space and personal thoughts. "And I'm a man of my word, or I like to be. So, here ya go," he continues, his piercing blue eyes showing so much vulnerability as he hands over the bottle in question with almost a death grip on the offered drink. "They're all probably wonderin' why I high-tailed it outta there so fast, huh?" Jake questions, twisting the cap to the bottle off before taking a swig of whiskey.

One thing about the Library's kitchen is that it stocks nearly every kind of food and drink imaginable at any given time, thanks to the Back Door's connection to every type of store or market around the world.

"Just a bit, Mr. Stone. And I would venture to say that you did worry them quite more than usual with the way that you just turned and fled in here with the manuscripts," Jenkins admits, tossing his brown-eyed gaze at Jacob Stone as the younger man continues to look at the Buddhist manuscript in his lap.

"And I figure Baird sent ya in here to check on me?" Jake inquires, knowing that Eve always places his needs and those of Ezekiel, Flynn, Cassandra, and Jenkins above her own as a selfless Guardian and friend would.

"No," Jenkins answers in contrast to Jake's statement, and that makes the brown-haired, blue-eyed genius look up in confusion and quite a bit of shock as well. "I came on my own accord to check on you, Mr. Stone," the Knight of the Round Table explains, making Jake's eyes get even wider.

"Jake, Jenkins," the cowboy murmurs. "How many times do I gotta tell ya? Just call me Jake or Stone," he laughs, tipping back the bottle before taking another swig. "Mr. Stone makes me sound like I'm some old professor, or even worse, my old man," Jake continues on his joke before becoming deathly silent.

And that's the biggest behavioral marker that tells Jenkins that the problem bothering Jacob Stone is his father, Isaac Stone whom the LITs- now full-time Librarians in their own right- had encountered while investigating the dig site.

Jenkins begins to wonder how he can bring up this conversation with Jacob when he clearly is not in a normal state of mind that is free from doubt and fresh pain.

"I understand your pain," Jenkins simply says.

"What?" Jake asks, not entirely sure what the caretaker could mean by that rather cryptic statement.

"Your father, Jacob," Jenkins starts to explain, only for Jake to open his mouth, about to form a rebuttal. "And do not tell me that such a theory is preposterous for me to suggest, Mr. Stone," the caretaker continues with a pointing of his index finger at the cowboy. "I saw the look in your eyes and the tone in your voice when you came back to the Annex and when Colonel Baird talked with you all on the mission. You were anything besides yourself, Jacob, and I bet a lot of that has to do with the fact that your father was there" he predicts, knowing very well that such a theory is most likely true.

Jake sits there in silence for a while, not looking at anything in particular as he starts to gaze around the room with darting eyes. His stomach suddenly feels like it is being put through the most extreme roller coaster ride ever invented as his head begins to swirl with all the thoughts and emotions he has regarding his father Isaac. No warm and happy thoughts come to Jacob's heart or mind when thinking of his father in his current state. Back when Jacob was a young kid, his father was not as cruel and harsh towards his oldest son, letting Jake come with him on certain job approved to be "not mortally dangerous" according to Jake's mom Molly. However, as Jake got older and started to show more of an interest in art, learning, books, and history as he progressed towards middle school and high school, Isaac Stone practically started to ignore his son's creativity and passion for knowledge. And so, Jacob Stone, at the tender age of ten decided to hide his intelligence from the world and become the son his father wished he had. That meant he started to play more sports in school instead of doing more academic extracurricular activities; Jacob even began to get into fights on almost a set schedule in order to help please his father's wants of having an athletic and truly macho son who would bring honor to the family name that Isaac Stone claimed was otherwise being lost due to Jacob's interest in learning from books instead of life experiences. The decision came at the time right after Jake's mother had passed away from being caught in a terrible car accident that involved her family car Jake loved riding in with her and an eighteen-wheeler that had a drunk driver that slammed into the driver's side of Molly Stone's car, nearly killing her directly on impact. She had been the only one to truly accept Jacob's gift of intelligence and passion for learning about the world around him, with the exception of Jake's youngest sister Annabelle, six years younger than Jake and the only other one of the Stone children who loved to learn anything and everything about the world.

All these thoughts swirl around in Jacob Stone's head as he sits there thinking of the words Jenkins spoke probably about five minutes ago at this point.

"You do, Jenkins?" Jake asks, finally able to get a coherent thought through his brain and mouth at the same time.

"Mm-hmm. Now, I have my own issues with my father, meaning he was never around in my life much to begin with," Jenkins begins to dredge up his past from when he was in Camelot and Corbenic. "He wasn't even present for my birth. My mother, bless her soul, raised me by herself and my grandfather stepped in and taught me all the things a father is meant to teach you. And after that, he came into my life when I was in Camelot. As you know, we had our fights and drifted apart due to all the evil he ended up committing in the years after Camelot fell to the darkness. After all, he tried to kill Eve at the Loom of Fate until I was able to defeat him and cut him out of present time. In all my years living with magic, I have never understood how that works without having severe consequences on those associated with the person blinked out of time," the caretaker admits, his brown eyes starting to wet with tears. "So, yes, I understand your pain," Jenkins assures, resting one hand on Jake's knee as a sense of comfort for the younger man.

"And any time you need to talk about anything about the lack of paternal support in your life, I am always here for you, Jacob. I will gladly make time for you and the others if you ever wish to talk about matters you do not wish to share with the others."

"Thank ya, Jenkins," Jake smiles, clasping his hand around Jenkins' elbow and shaking it as Knights of the Round Table used to do in medieval times. "I'll keep that in mind. And I'm sorry you had a jerk father, too, but it can only make us stronger, right?" the cowboy jokes in light of the depressing topic they are discussing at the moment.

"Indeed. My door is always open, Mr. Stone. Well, except for when I am sleeping, which seems to be a popular time for Mr. Jones to come in my room shouting about wanting me to make him a cup of jasmine tea or one of my famous snacks from my time as quite the cook in my younger days," Jenkins smirks, thinking of the young Australian who comes into his room at the weirdest time in the nights asking for the key to the kitchen that Jenkins keeps locked most nights to prevent any animals that may come through the Back Door during missions- Flynn has a habit for letting rabbits and deer in through the Back Door when he goes out into the country- from eating any of the food contained within the kitchen.

"All right. Thank you for everything, Jenkins."

"No problem at all, Sir Jacob. Now, what do you say we come out of here and head into the Annex to order dinner? Hmm? I believe Colonel Baird and the others will want to know you are alright."

"Sounds like a good idea to me, Jenkins," Jake says with a smile, standing up and following Jenkins out of the Historical Manuscripts wing, glad he has someone he can come to when he is having doubts about his relationship with his father, or as his standing as a good son.

 **Author's Note:** **Author's Note: And there is my Jenkins contribution for the third day of the shipathon week! For all of you who may have read my previous stories for the shipathon, I must apologize to you for not posting the last two weeks. I am in the middle of writing some of those stories now. I will try my hardest to get it up when I can, but my senior year of high school starts in about a week! So, my time for writing this many FanFictions in a row without giving love to my multi-chapter stories is really leaving me with little time to write. Thanks for your understanding! My schoolwork comes before my stories, especially since I am in IB, a set of classes harder than AP! Well, that's about all I have to say other than I hoped everyone enjoyed this one-shot and reviews are always appreciated! All right, that's all I have to say for now. Have a good morning, afternoon, or night!**


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